Once the NFL revealed its findings on the Patriots' deflated-football controversy, it was "more probable than not" the reaction would be heated, and expansive.

Tom Brady, the long-admired, four-time champion quarterback, is on the firing line, and so is his image. But the consensus among marketing pros seems to be: This too, shall pass.

"People in crisis communication have a philosophy," said Andrea Obston, president of Obston Public Relations and Communications and an adjunct professor who teaches sports public relations and crisis communication at Quinnipiac. "You believe the story that fits what you already believe. People who believe the Patriots are bullies, they'll do anything to win, will go on believing that. People who are Patriots fans and cheer their team will go on doing that. The casual fan is probably not going to be following this anyway. … So I don't think it will have much long-term impact."

Throughout his 15-year career with the Patriots, Brady has been quiet, rarely making statements that reveal much about himself or his personal life. In fact, when there has been controversy, it has often been stoked by statements made by his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

In the wake of the 243-page report, the result of Ted Wells' investigation for the NFL, the immediate response came from surrogate speakers. Bardy's father dismissed the issue as "framegate." On Thursday, Brady's agent Don Yee offered a blistering response.

The results of the probe into Deflategate? There was no concrete conclusion in...

After more than 14 weeks, the NFL investigation of the Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots ended with the release of a 243-page report Wednesday that left little doubt Tom Brady had a role in deflating footballs.

The results of the probe into Deflategate? There was no concrete conclusion in...

The next step is for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to hand out a punishment.

Brady was scheduled to appear at Salem State University in Massachusetts Thursday night — cue the witch hunt references — for a previously planned conversation moderated by Jim Gray, with no questions to be taken from other reporters.

Meanwhile, the expected opining on social media was rampant, as was the delight taken by headline writers at the New York tabloids, which included "Pretty Little Liar" … "Great Balls of Liar" and "NFL Probe Has Brady By The Balls."

Let's start with Tom Brady's initial response to reports that the Patriots used deflated football games in the AFC Championship Game against the Colts. Brady laughed that January morning. And he kept on chuckling. He called it "ridiculous."

"I think I've heard it all at this point," Brady said during...

(Jeff Jacobs)

Peter King, Sports Illustrated's longtime NFL columnist, wrote, "With no smoking gun, [Goodell] will have to rule on one of the NFL's all-time Golden Boys. … And either a suspension or heavy fine will forever mark Brady as a cheater in the eyes of the NFL."

Even high-profile pawnbrokers got into the act. Les and Seth Gold, stars of "Hardcore Pawn," told the entertainment website TMZ that collectors would pay "at least five figures" for footballs that were involved in the scandal.

"There is a fascination with anything that's outside the rules," Obston said. The good news, she said, is that the news comes out right in the middle of the offseason, and in today's fast-moving news cycle, could be long forgotten by the time training camp opens. "Really, the timing couldn't be better for the Patriots," she said.

The controversy started after the Patriots' one-sided victory over the Colts in the AFC Championship Game. The Colts voiced suspicion to the league, before and after the game, that the Patriots were illegally deflating footballs to Brady's liking. Though the controversy raged during the run-up to the Super Bowl, which Brady and the Patriots won, it took more than three months to complete the investigation.

"It is a sad day for the league as it has abdicated the resolution of football-specific issues to people who don't understand the context or culture of the sport," said Yee, who was present for Brady's interview before the Super Bowl, referring to the argument that tailoring the air pressure of footballs to a quarterback's preference is not an isolated thing.

"What does it say about the league office's protocols and ethics when it allows one team to tip it off to an issue prior to a championship game, and no league officials or game officials notified the Patriots of the same issue prior to the game?" Yee continued. "This suggests it may be more probable than not that the league cooperated with the Colts in perpetrating a sting operation."

Yee also claimed the report left out key parts of Brady's testimony. The Wells report found that two Patriots equipment staffers "more probably than not" deflated the balls after they were out of the officials' sight, and that Brady was "generally aware," calling Brady's various denials "implausible," bringing his personal credibility into question.

"What I see is that he goes from being 'Tom Perfect' to 'Tom Not-So-Perfect' in some people's eyes," Marc Ganis, president of sports business consulting firm SportsCorp, told The Associated Press. "As far as his marketability goes, he is still arguably the most marketable player in the NFL."

Obston, who advises celebrities on crisis management, said the best thing Brady can do now is to continue what he has been doing, which is to say very little, and say it in a printed statement, then play dodgeball, rather than create a video that will live on YouTube.

"He should not get out of his comfort zone, and [should] say, 'They give me the footballs, I take the footballs and I throw the footballs.' … He [and the Patriots], should just suck it up, pay the [penalty] and move on."